Face conveyor having coal plough guide means



June 16, 1964 F, J, FONTEIN 3,137,484

FACE CONVEYOR HAVING COAL PLOUGH GUIDE MEANS Filed Aug. 13, 1962 may!United States Patrlt C) 3,137,484 FACE CONVEYOR HAVING COAL PLOUGH nGUIDE MEANS Freerk J. Fontein, Heerlen, Netherlands, assignor toStamicarhon NN., Heerlen, Netherlands Filed Ang. 13, 1962, Ser. No.216,544 Claims priority, appiieation Netherlands Mar. 21, 1962 4 Claims.(Cl. 262-8) The present invention relates to mining, and in particularto a face conveyor of the type used in conjunction with a coal miningplaner. The manner in which this type of apparatus is utilized in miningis weil known, and illustrated and described, for example, in U.S.Patent No. 2,745,651. In accordance with the present invention, the faceconveyor side wall'nearest the coal face is provided with a sloping wallalong which the coal-getting machine, such as a coal plough (also knownas a planer), can be guided. At least one of the face conveyor sidewalls is extended vertically upwardly, to increase the capacity of theconveyor, as is known from the Dutch patent speciiication No. 73,112.

In the known construction, only the side wall remote from the face isextended upwardly. If the conveyor is fully loaded, this will result ina quantity of coal being spilled from the conveyor over the side wallnearest the coal face after the coal-getting machine has passed. Duringthe next movement of the coal-getting machine, the spilled coal is againloaded ontok the conveyor, which naturally involves a waste of energy.Additionally, the coal which rolls back into the space between theconveyor and the coal face after the coal-getting machine has passed, ismaterially disintegrated and reduced in size, because the conveyor ispressed against the coal face by compressed air cylinders or otherdevices after the coalgetting machine has passed.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a faceconveyor which avoids the above disadvantages. In accordance with thepresent invention, this is achieved by providing a sloping guide wall onthe conveyor side wall nearest the coal face, which guide wall extendsabove and reaches a position over the associated conveyor side wall. Theextended guide wall permits the conveyor to be loaded to a greaterdepth, without the additional quantity of coal loaded thereon droppinginto the trough after the coal-getting machine has passed.

When in operation, a coal plough is subjected to a force of reactionacting at about half the height of the cutting elements, and opposingthe force exerted by the pressure cylinders. In known devices, themoment which this reaction force causes to act on the coal plough withrespect to the guide element results, because of the relatively lowposition of the guiding element, in a tendency of the coal plough toturn or rotate about the guiding element, and hence to climb in theseam. In order to prevent this happening, it is known to provide ahorizontal part extending from the coal plough under the conveyor, andpressed onto the door of the seam by the weight of the conveyor and thecoal on it. The movement of such a horizontal part is impeded by highfrictional resistance, so that the power needed to move the coal ploughis considerably increased thereby.

Another object of the present invention is to obviate this drawbackalso, and materially reduce the power required to operate the coalplough. This is achieved, in accordance with a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, by providing a guide for the coal plough alongthe upper edge of the sloping guide wall. Preferably, the guide issufficiently high that the moment acting on the coal plough is less thanin the previously known constructions, or even negative. As a result,the coal plough is maintained on the tloor of the seam without the useof a 3,137,484 Patented June 16, 1964 ice horizontal part on the floorof the seam, with a consid- -erable saving of power in operating thecoal plough.

In order that the loading of the coal onto the conveyor may be subjectedto the least possible hindrance from the guide provided on the upperedge of the sloping guide wall, the guide is preferably tubular, and isso mounted that the transition between the sloping wall and the tube issmooth. In this connection, it may be noted that a tubular guide for thecoal plough is, in itself, known from the German patent specication No.804,671. However, according to that specification, the guide is lixed tothe side wall of the conveyor, and not to the upper edge of a guide wallprojecting above the conveyor.

The invention will be further explained with reference to the embodimentillustrated in the single ligure of the drawing, wherein the scraperconveyor 1 is provided, at f its side nearest the coal face 2, with asloping wall 3,

, which by means of bolts 4 and 5 and brackets 6 is mounted on theconveyor side wall 7. The sloping wall 3 has an` extension 3',projecting above the upper edge of the side wall 7, which extension isprovided at its outer edge with a guide tube 12.

Along the sloping guide wall a coal plough 8 is reciprocated by means ofa chain 9. The coal plough is provided with the usual carriage 10adapted to slide along Y the sloping wall 3 and drops onto the conveyoracross the guide tube 12. The guide tube 12 is joined tangentially tothe outer surface of the sloping wall, so that a smooth surface oftransition therebetween is effected.

The reaction force exerted on the plough acts at about half the heightof the plough, and is indicated in the drawing by the arrow R. The lineof action of this force, as illustrated, is below the guide tube 12, sothat the plough when in operation is pressed onto the floor of the seamby the couple caused by this force with respect to the guide tube.

The conveyor side wall 7 remote from vthe coal face is provided with awall extension 15, which' extends upwardly from the side wall 7 andincreases the effective height thereof. height indicated by the line ain the drawing. Line b indicates the height of loading ofthe conveyorthat may be attained in the absence of the extended sloping guide wall3. Under the sloping wall a strip 16 is provided, to close the gapbetween the sloping wall 3 and the side wall '7, to prevent coal fromgetting into the space between these walls.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention,structure in which the various objects hereinbefore set forth, togetherwith many practical advantages, are successfully achieved. As variouspossible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of the aboveinvention, all without departing from the scope thereof, it is to beunderstood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. A mining face conveyor having side walls and a sloping wall adaptedto guide a coal plough mounted on the side wall nearest the coal face,said sloping wall extending upwardly and away from the coal face to aposition substantially above said associated side wall, and guide meansfor the coal plough mounted on the upper edge of said sloping wall.

This permits the conveyor to be loaded tothe 2. A mining face conveyoras dened in claim 1, Wherein the other side Wall is provided with a Wallextension extending upwardly therefrom to increase the eective heightthereof.

3. A mining face conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein said guidemeans is tubular and is disposed tangentially to the outer surface ofthe sloping wail, to provide a smooth surface of transition between thesloping wail and the tubular guide.

4, A mining face conveyor as deined in claim 3, wherein the tubularguide means is disposed at least as high asY the vertical center of hecoal plough.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES` PATENTS GreatBritain sept. 15, 1954

1. A MINING FACE CONVEYOR HAVING SIDE WALLS AND A SLOPING WALL ADAPTEDTO GUIDE A COAL PLOUGH MOUNTED ON THE SIDE WALL NEAREST THE COAL FACE,SAID SLOPING WALL EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND AWAY FROM THE COAL FACE TO APOSITION SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE SAID ASSOCIATED SIDE WALL, AND GUIDE MEANSFOR THE COAL PLOUGH MOUNTED ON THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID SLOPING WALL.